Taking Care Of Your Makeup Brushes

Makeup brushes ARE expensive:

It’s true, good makeup brushes are an investment. They will last around 10 years if you take care of them well. Compare that to junky brushes where you have to keep re-buying. In the long run, what is the better deal? I will always suggest buying better brushes. Some of my favorites include Jane Iredale, M.A.C , and some Japonesque brushes. Better brushes = better application.

How often should you clean your brushes:

Well, for me I clean my brushes every time I use them on a makeup job. It’s necessary since they are used on lots of people. For brushes that are only used on one person, you can get away with cleaning them once a week. It’s very important to clean them so you don’t get product build up and bacteria growth. If you are using different shades of color on one brush, wipe off the color onto a makeup remover cloth like Neutrogeana’s makeup cleaner Towelettes before applying another color. However, I would never use my powder brush as my blush brush. These need to be two separate brushes most definitely.

Brush cleansing products + how to use them:

There are lots of makeup brush cleaners out there that work really well. But why not just make a big batch of cleaner yourself? Below is the recipe to make it. Once you have it made, put it in a spray bottle and really work it into your brush starting from the base to the top. Next wipe it onto a clean cloth back and forth, repeat process until there is no makeup left on brush. Do not smash the brush on to the cloth! Once they are clean, make sure to immediately reshape them. Next let them air dry completely before using them.

1 cup of distilled water

2 TBS Rubbing Alcohol

1 TBS baby shampoo

1 TSP leave in conditioner

When to toss them:

If you have been too aggressive with your brushes by grinding them into you face, they may have frayed ends. If they do, they are most likely un-repairable and your application probably wont look that great. It’s time to toss them! Sorry!

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